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Govs On Deck – September 16, 2019
Good Monday morning! Welcome to this week’s edition of “Govs on Deck” – the weekly tip sheet dedicated to keeping you informed about what is happening in Democratic governors’ offices around the country.
Questions or suggestions? Send me a note at amestoy@dga.net. You can find us all on Twitter too – @A_Tall_Turner, @CEAmestoy, and @MichBeyer.
Coming up this week:
- Today in NEW MEXICO, Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM will honor civic and community leaders from the city of Deming and Luna County with the 2019 Governor’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of their tireless and heroic humanitarian work responding to the needs of immigrants and asylum-seekers at the border. The ceremony will take place at the governor’s residence in Santa Fe.
- In RHODE ISLAND, Gov. Gina RAIMONDO will visit a pre-K classroom along with members of her Cabinet today to celebrate the hundreds of new pre-kindergarten seats created this year.
- CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT today will recommend repealing the religious exemption for immunizations for children to attend public school. The proposal is likely to come up in the next legislative session.
- NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM will roll out the preliminary report of her Climate Change Task Force on Tuesday. The task force, which was appointed by executive order in her first month in office, was assigned with identifying meaningful steps each state agency can take to lower its carbon footprint and help reduce emissions.
- On Wednesday, KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY will issue a proclamation for National Hispanic Heritage Month.
- COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS will speak at the Denver Startup Week Panel on Military Veteran Entrepreneurship on Wednesday.
- KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY will also host a welcome home ceremony at the Capitol for the first responders who traveled to aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
How ‘bout Dem govs: Dem govs continue to push for federal gun reforms
Dem govs get it done.
Last week, twelve Democratic governors signed a letter to President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell calling for federal action on commonsense gun safety reforms including passing red flag laws and universal background checks.
The letter, led by NEW YORK Gov. Andrew CUOMO, was signed by:
- CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin NEWSOM
- CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned LAMONT
- DELAWARE Gov. John CARNEY
- ILLINOIS Gov. JB PRITZKER
- MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen WHITMER
- NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY
- NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle LUJAN GRISHAM
- OREGON Gov. Kate BROWN
- PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom WOLF
- RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina RAIMONDO
- WASHINGTON Gov. Jay INSLEE.
The full letter can be read here.
Some news from this past week:
- Gun safety reform
- NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil MURPHY signed an executive order seeking to limit New Jersey’s financial ties with gun vendors and financial institutions that do not promote responsible gun safety practices.
- Environment
- COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS created a new state park. The previously privately-owned Fisher’s Peak will become the state’s 42nd park.
- Economy
- KANSAS Gov. Laura KELLY signed an executive order creating a Tax Reform Council. The council will conduct an 18-month study and make specific statutory recommendations for a fiscally responsible, fair and sustainable tax structure.
- LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel EDWARDS announced that the state has a projected $500M budget surplus for FY2019. The governor had inherited a budget deficit of $2B when he took office in 2016.
- Health care
- COLORADO Gov. Jared POLIS announced that Summit County, which had some of the highest health care costs in the state, will see premiums decrease by 41 percent. The decrease is thanks to the creation of the Summit County’s Peak Health Alliance, the state’s first health care purchasing collaborative, and the state’s new reinsurance program.
Name that governor:
This governor initially wanted to go into musical theater…
Think you know? Shoot me your answer at amestoy@dga.net.
Who has a new dog? That’s MINNESOTA Gov. Tim WALZ who was the answer to this question: This governor fulfilled a key campaign promise last week when the First Family adopted Scout, the new First Dog….
Have a great week!